LEAK DETECTION

Drought, water restrictions, and water-saving efforts are particularly important issues in Cape Town and Africa in general. No matter how big or small, a leak can have a significant impact on your water bill. Leaks can also put your property at risk.

If you receive a water bill that is unusually high, you probably have a leak in your house or flat. 

 

Here’s what you can do if you suspect a leak:

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Step 1: Locate the water meter and read the water consumption.

 

If at that exact moment you are sure that you are not consuming water, but the dial on the water meter is moving, this is a good sign of a leak.

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Step 2: Try to locate the leak and find the cause

 

Check the following areas for common signs of a leak:

 

Toilet​

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If you see a small trickle of water coming from the cistern down into the toilet bowl, this probably means you have a toilet leak. It could simply be due to a faulty flapper or a damaged washer. However, we recommend attending to this as soon as possible, as an almost unnoticeable leak of 0.3 litres/minute adds up to almost 13000 litres lost in a month – that’s 2600 bottles of 5L water!   

 

If you see brown lines in the toilet bowl running down from under the rim, this shows that water has been trickling constantly in this area, accumulating limescale over time and leaving a brown stain.

 

Walls and floors 

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Pipes are usually not visible, they are buried in the earth or installed behind walls. If one of your pipes becomes cracked, you might notice a trickle of water running down your walls or floor. This is a sure sign of a leak. Other possible signs of a leak include damp, blackened wood, and bubbling paint.

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Leaking roof 

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If you see that your roof is leaking, and you know that your geyser is in the roof, the first thing you should do is try to access the roof and check the geyser. Is your geyser’s drip tray overflowing? This can happen if your geyser is burst or if one of your geyser components is faulty.

Run your hand across all the pipes in the roof - if they are not too hot to touch of course. Are they all leak-free? Other possible causes of a leaking roof include a clogged-up gutter, a poorly sealed chimney, or simply wear and tear from roof deterioration. In this case, you may have to call a roof specialist to assist.

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Outside paving 

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Check your outside paving. If you notice that a specific area of your outside paving is wetter or darker in colour than the rest of your paving, you might have a leak. If you see an accumulation of sand around the paving joints or a dip in the paving, this could also be a sign of a leak.

I have a leak, what do I do now?

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The very first thing you must do is turn off the stop cock located closest to your water meter. As leaks do not resolve themselves, we recommend asking a professional to conduct a leak detection immediately.

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Eurosmart Plumbing uses acoustic leak detection tools, allowing us to detect your leak, or at least locate the area of the leak. Thereafter, a manual inspection will be necessary to find the exact location. We will repair the leak and after analysing the condition of your pipes we will give you advice to prevent the leak from reappearing.

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